Apparatus for weaving fabrics with a pirnless shuttle

ABSTRACT

In an apparatus for weaving fabrics with a pirnless shuttle wherein a length of a weft substantially equal to twice the width of the fabric is measured and stored on one side, the first width of the stored length of the weft is pulled out and threaded in a shed by a pirnless shuttle, the second width is stored on the opposite side and is then threaded by the shuttle moving in the opposite direction, the shuttle is provided an inclined weft guide groove at one end and the weft is guided to be caught by said inclined weft guide groove.

United States Patent 1111 [721] 1nventor$ .loichi Kimjima [S6] References Cited 9 93; h K UNITED STATES PATENTS Shmpe' 948,945 2/1910 Smith 139/126 to, both 01, Japan 7 pp No 847,507 1,213.700 1/191 139/125 1,574,125 2/1926 Sh1mwe|1..... 139/125 [22] F11ed July 17,1969

3,024,814 3/1962 Te Strake 139/127 [45] Patented June29, 1971 964 T k 139 l 7 1 [73] Assignee Howa Kogyo KabushikiKaisha 6/1 estra e l 2 Nagoymhi Mchhken Japan 3,195,580 7/1965 Fend et a1. 139/224 3,174,514 3/1965 Schaffer [39/125 Pmmy 2.1 3,213,892 10/1965 Fluhmann 139/126 [31] 41/8146. mun/3843 3,417,793 12/1968 Fre1hofer 139/126 Continuation of application Ser. No. FOREIGN PATENTS 645,248, June 12, 1967 now abandoned. 386,941 4/1965 Switzerland Primary Examiner-James Kee Chi ABSTRACT: In an apparatus for weaving fabrics with a pim- [54] FABRICS WITH A less shuttle wherein a length of a weft substantially equal to 5 Cl i 16 D twice the width of the fabric is measured and stored on one a side, the first width of the stored length of the weft is pulled [52] U.S. Cl 139/126, out and threaded in a shed by a pirnless shuttle, the second 139/ 1 94 width is stored on the opposite side and is then threaded by the [51] Int. Cl 003d 47/00 shuttle moving in the opposite direction, the shuttle is pro- Field of Search 139/125, vided an inclined weft guide groove at one end and the weft is guided to be caught by saidinclined weft guide groove.

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FIG. I30 I09 I020 I07 T. I02 I27 APPARATUS FOR WEAVING FABRICS WITH A PIRNLESS SHUTTLE This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 645,248, filed June 12, 1967,now abandoned.

This invention relates to an improved apparatus for weaving fabrics with a pirnless shuttle wherein wefts cut into predetermined length are successively carried by a shuttle while it is reciprocated transversely of the web, whereby the wefts are inserted through sheds.

In weaving a cloth by utilizing a loom it is usual to wind the weft yarn around a weft bobbin which is mounted on a tongue of a shuttle arranged to be moved transversely during shedding of warps thereby to combine the weft with warps. Various researches have been made to increase the weaving speed. In the automatic loom, in order to assure continuous supply of the weft, while one weft bobbin is being used, other weft bobbins wound with wefts are prepared before the total length of the weft wound on the first bobbin is consumed and are successively and automatically supplemented by mechanical operation, thus enabling continuous weaving operation without stopping the loom. Thus, even in automatic looms, it is necessary to prepare beforehand weft'bobbins wound with wefts, thus requiring an independent weft winding step.

Although the physical size of the shuttle varies more or less dependent upon the type of theloom, in the conventional:

shuttle which contains a weft bobbin, the total length of-a weft wound upon a weft bobbin generally decreases as the counts of yarn decreases. Consequently, when weaving a fabric with thicker yarn, the length of the fabric that can be woven from one weft bobbin becomes shorter. Consequently, when a fabric is woven with an automatic loom utilizing thicker yarn the number of changes of weft bobbins per unit time increases with the consequent increase in wear of various parts as well as the necessity for repair, thus requiring storage of parts and employment of service men. This also increases the manufacturing cost of the product.

From the standpoint of the weft preparing step, it is necessary to prepare a number of weft bobbins because thelength of the yarn wound upon each weft bobbin is short, which requires an increase in the number of weft winding machines and the number of workers. In addition, the cost of transporting the wound weft bobbins to the loom is also increased, thus increasing the manufacturing cost of woven fabricsutilizing thicker weft.

As an approach for solving various problems in looms using weft bobbins, shuttleless looms have recently been developed wherein wefts are inserted into position by means of air jet or water jet upon shedding of the warps. However, these machines are still expensive, and decrease in the manufacturing cost by their use cannot be expected.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved method of weaving fabrics without utilizing weft bobbins, thus decreasing the cost of manufacturing.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method of weaving fabrics especially suitable for thick wefts.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel weaving apparatus which can insert wefts by means of a pirnless shuttle.

A preferred method of weaving a fabric of this invention comprises the steps of measuring a predetermined length of weft by means of a length measuring means located on one side of a loom, said predetermined length consisting of two sections, each having a length approximately equal to the width of the fabric to be woven, storing said measured length of weft in a first storing means located on the same side as said length measuring means, holding the trailing end of said measured length of weft, driving in one direction a pirnless shuttle including means to catch said weft during fly whereby to insert said measured length of weft stored in said first storing means through a shed in the form of a U-shaped configuration, removing the second section of said weft from said shed to store said second section in a second storing means on the op posite side of said loom while the first section is maintained in said shed, beating said first section by means of a reed, cutting said trailing end, picking said shuttle in the opposite direction to insert said second section of the weft stored in said second storing means through another shed and said second section.

The novel apparatus for weaving fabrics with a pirnless shuttle comprises a source of weft supply; means to measure a predetermined length of the weft which is substantially equal to twice the width of the woven fabric; a first pneumatic weft storing means to store said measured length of the weft; said source, said measuring means and said first weft storing means being located on one side of a loom; a pirnless shuttle; a first picking means located on said one side of the loom to drive said shuttle in one direction across said fabric; a second pneumatic weft storing means located on the opposite side of said fabric whereby when said shuttle is picked in said one direction said shuttle operates' to thread the first width of said measured length of the weft in the shed and the second width of the weft is withdrawn .from the shed and stored in said second weft storing means; a second picking means located on said opposite side to drive said shuttle in the opposite direction to pull said second width of the weft out of said second weft storing means to thread it in the shed whereby to thread said measured length of the weft in a hairpin shape to form a selvedge along one edge alone; said pirnless shuttle comprising a weft guide groove at one end thereof only; said weft guide groove being adapted to engage the portion of said weft extending between said measuring means and said first weft storing means.

Thus, according to this invention, as a pirnless shuttle is utilized, labor and time required for a bobbin winding operation, for transporting wound bobbins to looms, and for supplementing weft bobbins to shuttle are eliminated, thus greatly simplifying the manufacturing steps of fabrics and reducing the manufacturing cost thereof.

The novel'features which characterize our invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation together with further objects and advantages thereof may best be understood by reference to the following;

description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. ll is-a schematic representation of an apparatus for inserting wefts inposition in accordance with one embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view, partly broken away, of an apparatus for measuring a predetermined length of the weft and feeding FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a modified pirnless shuttleembodying this invention;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the shuttle shown in FIG. 8 as viewed from a cooperating reed;

FIG. I0 is a plan view of the shuttle shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 shows a cross section of the shuttle shown in FIG. I0 taken along a line XI-XI thereof;

FIG. 12 is a diagram to explain the relation between the groove of the shuttle, a weft, and warps; and

FIG. 113A through 13D show successive steps of inserting the weft by means of the modified pirnless shuttle shown in FIGS. 8 through 11.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawing there is shown a crankshaft I located behind a reed 2 shown in the remotest position from a shed 30 at which a weft 10 and warps 3 cross each other. In the state shown in FIG. 1, a shuttle 6 is housed in the left-hand shuttle box 4. Left-hand and righthand shuttle boxes 4 and 5 are equipped with conventional picker sticks 35 and 36 respectively, and modified box fronts 13 and 17 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, respectively.

As shown by the perspective view of FIG. 4 illustrating a portion of the shuttle and the shuttle race, the front sidewall 37 of a shuttle 6 is provided with a window 38 adapted to receive a weft supply member 7, the opposite ends of window 38 being provided with converging slots 39 and 390 so as not to interfere with the movement of the weft. A cavity 41 is provided at the central portion of shuttle 6 and a catching hook 8 of fish hook cross section is secured to the central portion of the inner surface 42 of the rear sidewall to be contained in the cavity 41. The configuration of the catching hook may be any desired configuration as long as a narrow passage 43 is formed between the inwardly bent portion of the hook and the bottom surface of the shuttle so that the weft 10 will not disengage after it has been caught by the hook 8 and that a constant tension may be applied to the weft until the trailing end thereof disengages from the shuttle. A pair of strips of fur 44 are positioned on the opposite sides of hook 8 to frictionally engage the weft.

As shown in FIG. 2, the weft is payed out from a cheese or cone 11 and supplied between vertically aligned length measuring rollers 12 and 12a via a ring-shaped guide member 20. The surface of upper roller 12a is covered by a resilient material such as rubber, and the upper roller is urged against the peripheral surface of the lower length measuring roller 12 by means of a not shown spring or weight to prevent slippage caused by the peripheral speed of the lower roller, thus assuring constant measured length. Lower length measuring roller 12 is driven through a sprocket wheel 21a mounted on a roller shaft 22 and a chain 45 passing around sprocket wheel 21:: and another sprocket wheel 21 mounted upon crankshaft 1 so that the measuring rolls are rotated by the crankshaft to feed the weft.

Variation of the length of the weft thus fed can be made by changing either the diameter of length measuring roller 12 or the combination of numbers of teeth of sprocket wheels 21 and 21a or by utilizing a stepless speed changer, whereby the measured length can be varied within a wide range. With this arrangement, during operation of the loom, the weft is continuously fed while being measured to its required length to correspond to a predetermined number of the width of the woven fabric.

In a practical design, it is advantageous to select the ratio of number of teeth of sprocket wheel 21 mounted on crankshaft 1 to that of sprocket wheel 21a on the length measuring roller to be 2:l and the ratio between the numbers of revolutions of the length measuring roller and the crankshaft to be 2:1, and to select the diameter of the length measuring roller to be substantially equal to the width of the woven fabric.

After passing through the nip between length measuring rollers 12 and 12a, weft 10 is fed into a suction port 230 ofa suction feed device 23 utilizing airflow. Concurrently therewith compressed air is supplied to a nozzle 240 through an inlet port 24 to draw the weft into a cylindrical cage 25 made of metal wire net. It is preferable to locate suction port 230 at a position as close as possible to the nip of rollers 12 and 12a.

Preferably, the configuration of cage 25 should be a frustum of a cone. Airflow supplied into the cage escapes to the surrounding atmosphere through the mesh of wire net, thus permitting weft 10 to reach a lower exit 25a at the bottom of the cage after falling down along a fur lining 46 bonded to the inner surface of the cage. Thereafter the weft is fed to a yarn guide 70 ofa weft supply member 7 after passing through holders 9 and 9a.

These holders 9 and 9a are secured to the stationary portion of the loom together with cage 25 of metal wire net with their centers aligned with the center of a ring-shaped yarn guide 70 of yarn supply member 7 acting to feed weft 10 to shuttle 6 having pointed opposite ends 40 and 40a. For the purpose of preventing slippage of the weft, clamping pieces 47 and 47a of resilient material are bonded to the inner surfaces of holders 9 and 9a, thus assuring positive clamping of the weft. Holder 9a on the operative side of the weft is secured to one end of a holding lever 26 pivoted at 26a to the stationary portion of the loom, the other end 27 of the holding lever being rounded to cooperate with the operating surface ofa weft holding cam 28. The rounded end 27 of the holding lever 26 is normally urged against the operating surface of cam 28 by means of a spring 30. Holding cam 28 is driven to follow the rotation of crankshaft 1 through a chain 48 passing around a sprocket wheel 31a mounted on a cam shaft 29 and a sprocket wheel 31 mounted on crankshaft I. Preferably, the ratio between the numbers of revolutions of cam shaft 29 and crankshaft 1 is I12, thus causing holding cam 28 to make one complete revolution for every two revolutions of crankshaft 1.

Holding cam 28 is constructed and arranged in such a manner that upon opening of holders 9 and 9a, the weft in cage 25 will be fed by the action of airflow toward a weft retaining box 16 (FIG. I) provided near left-hand shuttle box 4 through ring-shaped yarn guide 7a of weft supply member 7, whereas upon closure of the holders, the weft sent out from length measuring rollers 12 and 12a will be retained in cage 25, thus preventing the weft from moving until holders are opened next time.

In this manner, when holders 9 and 9a are closed, holding cam 28 maintains weft 10 which has left holders 9 and 9a at a definite position, thus assuring positive supply of the weft to the shuttle as well as accurate cutting of the weft by means of a cutter I9 and positive seizing of yarn immediately after cutting. Moreover, as the holding cam stabilizes the movement of the weft toward weft retaining box 16, it comprises the main control device for continuously supplying the weft. From holders 9 and 9a, the weft is fed to a ring-shaped yarn guide 70 of weft supply member 7 which is secured to the machine frame of the loom. As best shown in FIG. 4, weft supply member 7 is in the form of a forked member including a ring-shaped yarn guide 7a on one leg and a forked yarn guide 7b on the other leg, thus determining the supply position of yarn 10. In other words, the yarn supply member serves to accurately supply the weft after adjusting its direction in the vertical and horizontal directions depending upon the stop position of the shuttle in the shuttle box. Ring-shaped yarn guide 70 must be made of a material of low frictional resistance because the yarn is normally supplied through it, this being especially so when thick yarns or yarns of flat rectangular cross section are handled. Forked yarn guide 7b is adapted to support the weft when the shuttle box is brought close to the front center, thus permitting easy supply of the weft to hook 8 in the shuttle but yarn guide 7b is separated from the yarn upon retraction of the shuttle box.

After passing through ring-shaped yarn guide 7a, the weft 10 is supplied to a weft retaining box 16 through a yarn guide 14 mounted on a side surface of the shuttle box at the tip of box front 13 thereof. This movement of the weft is effected by airflow supplied to the interior of weft retaining box 16 through its suction port 15. Weft retaining box 16 is secured to the machine frame so that its suction port is opposite to the reed. The retaining box should be so constructed that when the shuttle flies, the weft can be smoothly pulled out through suction port 15 without undesirable tension.

During closure of holders 9 and 9a, weft 10 is maintained under a slight tension which is created by the airflow through suction port 15 and acting toward retaining box 16, whereas, upon opening of holders 9 and 9a, the weft retained in cage 25 is conveyed into the retaining box through ring-shaped yarn guide 7a of yarn supply member 7 and yarn guide 14. Thus, it is necessary to constantly maintain airflow.

As shown in FIG. 3 the improved box front 13 of left-hand shuttle box 4 is provided with an elongated window 49 at its central portion, said window permitting free passage of weft supply member 7. A slot 50 is provided between the righthand end of window 49 and the end of the box front, said slot extending in the direction of insertion of the shuttle, said window 49 being aligned with the window 38 through the front sidewall of shuttle 6, and the width of slot 50 being sufficient not to interfere with the movement of the weft.

As shown in FIG. 4 yarn guide 14 is secured to the front end of box front 13 with its bent portion 14a maintained at right angles with respect to the side surface of the shuttle race. Weft is maintained substantially horizontally between the center of bent portion 14a, ring-shaped yarn guide 7a and forked yarn guide 711, the arrangement being such that the weft passing through ring-shaped yarn guide 70 of the yarn supply member is drawn out from suction port 15 by the retracting motion of the shuttle box when the shuttle flies with the weft caught thereby.

While the weft is stretched substantially horizontally between ring-shaped yarn guide 7a of weft supply member 7 and bent portion 14a of yarn guide 14, shuttle box 4 is ad vanced. Thus, while weft 10 is supported in this manner by ring-shaped yarn guide 7a and forked yarn guide 7b catching hook 8 contained in shuttle 6 is advanced until the weft slips into catching hook 8 through passage 43 and around the bent tip of the hook. At this time, because the weft passes through a longitudinal guide slot 50 of box front 13, the weft can be freely caught by catching hook 8.

When shuttle box 4 reaches the forward center, the weft passes through ring-shaped yarn guide 7a, a semicircular yarn guide 52 of catching hook 8, and yarn guide 14. Upon commencement of the retracting motion of the shuttle box, the weft which has been held by weft supply member 7 is transferred to shuttle 6 as the shuttle box. retracts. Immediately thereafter, the shuttle is driven by the picker with the weft caught thereby. As the trailing end of the weft is firmly held by said holders 9 and 90 at this time, there is no possibility of the weft assuming an unstable position during this transfer period.

As the shuttle box retracts, the shuttle which is arranged to be driven near the back center of the crankshaft is caused to fly toward the right-hand shuttle box 5 through the shed defined by the warps, with the portion of the weft between holders 9 and 9a now closed and retaining box 16 caught by the shuttle, as shown by FIGS. 2 and 5.

During this period, a length of the weft measured by length measuring rollers is stored in cage 25. If the measurement of the length were made in a manner such that the length of the weft stored in retaining box 16 and that retained in the cage 25 are respectively equal to twice the width of the fabric, or to a length consisting of two sections each equal to the width of the cloth, movement of the shuttle from leftto right-hand edge of the fabric would correspond to insertion or threading of one section of the weft of a length equal to the width thereof and the remaining section would extend between the retaining box 16 and the catching hook of the shuttle. Thus, when the shuttle is driven from the supply side two sections of the measured length of the weft which have been previously stored in the retaining box are simultaneously threaded through warps in a letter U-shaped configuration.

As shown in FIG. 7, a suction port 18 is connected to one sidewall of right-hand shuttle box 5 to enable it to suck the second weft section simultaneously with the stopping of the shuttle. This arrangement not only prevents the second section from remaining between warps but also applies an appropriate tension to the first weft section, thus improving the quality of the woven fabric.

As shown in FIG. 6, box front 17 of right-hand shuttle box 5 is formed at its lower side with a relatively wide notch 53 so as to permit free movement of the second weft section into the suction port 18 by air suction at the time of stopping of the shuttle. As shown in FIG. I, suction port 18 is connected to face said notch 53. The mounting position of suction port 18 is so selected that it will face toward the right-hand end of the catching hook housed in the shuttle when it is received in right-hand shuttle box 5, thus permitting easy suction of the free end of the weft carried by the catching hook.

A flexible pipe 54 is provided between suction port 18 and a vacuum source (not shown) topermit free reciprocating motion of the shuttle box.

As the crankshaft 1 continues to rotate to approach the front center, thus forming the next shed, reed 2 is operated to urge the first weft section against the bottom of the shed 3a to form the fabric. At this time the weft is cut by a weft cutter 9 secured to the stationary part of the loom between suction port 15 and the left side selvage of the fabric, as viewed in FIG. 1. The end of the weft cut by cutter 19 remains as a fringe yarn on the left side selvage. The other end of the weft cut by cutter 19 is. sucked into the retaining box 16 by an airflow through the suction port 15. Concurrently therewith, holders 9 and 9a are opened by the action of holding cam 28, whereby a new length of the weft which has been retained in cage 25 is supplied to weft retaining box 16 through yarn guide 7a of weft supply member 7 and yarn guide 14, thus preparing for next cycle.

As crankshaft l advances close to the lower center, the shuttle is driven by the picker in the right-hand shuttle box to fly toward left while pulling the second weft section out of suction pipe 18 by catching it by its catching hook. Thus, the weft is folded back to form the right-hand selvage and when the shuttle reaches the left-hand selvage, the weft disengages from the shuttle, thus having the second section in the shed. The empty shuttle then returns to left-hand shuttle box 4 and is there retained, in the predetermined position. The end of the second weftsection is caught by a suction port 32 opening in the shuttle race corresponding to the left side selvage, said suction port 32 being connected to a vacuum source to create airflow by means of a flexible pipe 33. It is desirable to construct suction port 32 so that airflow therethrough positively catches the yarn end. Airflow through suction port 32 functions to catch the yarn end of the second section which has left the shuttle, whereby the yarn is threaded under a constant tension, thus improving the quality of the finished fabric.

As the crankshaft 1 continues to rotate, the empty shuttle is caused to engage anew length of weft horizontally extending through the weft supply member, then retracted with the weft caught by its catching hook and finally picked toward the right, thus commencing a new weft threading cycle.

By repeating the above described cycle of operation, weft is continuously supplied to weave a fabric. This greatly reduces the number of stopping operations of the loom for supplementing weft bobbins, whereby the number of looms attended by one operator can be increased, thus increasing production efficiency. This also eliminates weft winding stoppage and decreases the expense for installing machines as well as the number of workers required. Moreover, the cost of transporting weft bobbins can be greatly reduced, thus decreasing production cost.

Although in the above description the predetermined measured length of the weft is approximately equal to twice the width of the fabric, it will be understood that this length may be made equal to an even multiple of the width of the fabric. For example, when the measured length of the weft is equal to four times the width of the fabric, each measured length is inserted by two reciprocating motions of the shuttle.

Thus, according to the novel method, a measured length of weft having a length which is twice the width of the fabric, that is, comprising two sections each having a length equal to the width of the fabric, is threaded through the same shed by a shuttle to position the first section of the weft, the second section of the weft that has been threaded into the shed is sucked by a suction port provided for one of the shuttle boxes, and then this thus sucked second section is threaded through the next shed and beaten by a reed. During these steps, cutting and supplying of the weft are performed. The fabric woven in this manner has a fringed selvage on one edge and a folded back selvage on the other as in ordinary woven cloths. The fringed selvage can be finished and treated by machines in the conventional manner.

While fabrics woven by conventional jet looms have fringed selvages on both edges thereof, as fabrics woven according to the novel method have only one fringed selvage, it is possible to greatly simplify machines to form selvage structure as well as treatment thereof. Further, according to this invention, as the weft is threaded by means of the shuttle even when nappy wefts are utilized, they can be satisfactorily threaded notwithstanding some unevenness formed in the shed. Moreover, according to this invention it is possible to easily weave such wide fabrics that cannot be woven by air jet looms or water jet looms.

Although the method and apparatus embodying this invention are particularly suitable for thick wefts, application of this invention to the manufacture ofordinary fabrics results in the elimination of the weft bobbin winding step, and in operation over a long period of time without the necessity of supplementing weft bobbins, thus reducing manufacturing cost.

It is also possible to successively thread sections of the weft each having a length substantially equal to the Width of the woven fabric by the practice of this invention. In this case, the suction apparatus associated with the right-hand shuttle box is eliminated, and independent sets of length measuring, supplying retaining, and cutting devices of the weft are provided for shuttle boxes on both sides so that sections of the weft each having a length equal to the width of the fabric may be alternately threaded from both sides of the web. Fabrics woven by this modified method have fringed selvages on both edges as in those woven by jet looms. By providing different types of sections of wefts on both sides it is possible to weave fabrics having wefts of different type threaded alternately.

Another method of supplying wefts by employing a modified shuttle embodying this invention will now be described.

Although not shown in the drawing, the same length measuring rollers, yarn holders and other parts shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are also utilized in this modified method.

As shown in FIG. 12, warps are divided into an upper yarn group 101 and a lower yarn group 101a by means of healds 103 and 1030 to form a shed, and a weft 102 is inserted or threaded through a triangular space 104 defined by these upper and lower yarn groups and a reed 105 to weave a fabric. In this embodiment, a modified shuttle 106 as shown in FIGS. 8 through 11 comprising a body portion of rectangular cross section and pointed conical opposite ends is utilized. A pair of spaced parallel longitudinal grooves 112 and 113 are respectively provided on the upper surface and rear side surface of the body portion which are interconnected by an inclined guide groove 114 provided for one of the conical ends. The front side surface of the body portion is provided with a window 120 and an air passage 121 communicating with the upper groove 112. Similarly, the upper surface 110 is provided with a window 119a and an air passage 119 communicating with groove 113 on the rear side surface 111.

The guide groove 114 is so designed that its leading end 115 is disposed closer to rear side surface 111 than the longitudinal axis and the height H of said leading end above the bottom surface 116 is less than the height Ha of the body portion. The width of guide groove 114 is not critical as long as weft 102 can be caught by the leading end 115 thereof. As shown in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, the bottom of groove 112 on upper surface 110 and that of groove 113 on rear side surface 111 are substantially on the same level, and the leading end 115 at which grooves 112 and 113 merge together is disposed at the tip of one of the conical ends. Inner bottom 118 situated substantially at the middle of the pointed end must be finished to have a flat rounded surface since it catches and carries the weft during shuttle flying.

Groove 113 on the rear sidewall 111 of the shuttle is positioned beneath a plane including a line C-Ca interconnecting pointed ends thereof (FIG. 9) and extends substantially in parallel with bottom surface 116. The surface of the groove is finished smoothly so as to receive the weft during flying of the shuttle.

As shown in FIG. 10, groove 112 on the upper surface extends along substantially the whole length of shuttle 106 and is positioned closer to a side surface 117 than centerline C-Ca. The depth of the groove is made deeper at the left-hand end to align with bottom surface 118 of guide groove 114, whereas at the opposite end the depth of the groove 112 is gradually decreased to the upper surface. As shown in FIG. 10, groove 113 on the rear side surface 111 is communicated with elongated air passage 119 provided on the upper surface 10. Further, as shown in FIG. 11 a rectangular window 120 is provided through front wall 117 to define an air passage 121 communicating with groove 112 on upper surface 110. The configuration and size of window 120 are the same as those of an air suction port provided through the front sidewall of the right-hand shuttle box, whereby the weft carried by the shuttle is sucked through said suction port, groove 112, and window 120, thus pulling out the weft as the shuttle is driven from the right-hand shuttle box toward the left-hand shuttle box.

In the modified shuttle of this invention, since guide groove 114 which serves to supply the weft is constructed so that the angle 0 between guide groove 114 and upper group of warps 101 is substantially 90, as long as the angle of shed 0,, is normal, there is no possibility of the warps being caught by the groove. Even if there are certain warps that do not define the correct shedding angle, the shuttle can fly without any difficulty by pushing aside these warps by its pointed end.

During flying of the shuttle, the upper group of warps 101 extending between the shed and the reed is contacted by the edge line of the conical end portion of the shuttle and by the upper edge 1170 of front side surface 117, but during this period, since the leading edge of guide groove 114 is situated close to the rear side surface of the shuttle and beneath the upper surface thereof, there is no possibility of the shuttle catching the upper group of warps, thus assuring smooth pass of the shuttle.

In the event that a warp breaks to form free ends or a warp becomes intermined with an adjacent warp, there is no possibility of these yarns entering the guide groove 114, thus interferring with the movement of the flying shuttle. In this manner, with this improved shuttle it is possible to safely and positively insert the weft.

Thus, according to this invention, since the weft is maintained by a yarn guide and a suction port across the passage of the flying shuttle at a predetermined supply angle with respect to the shuttle race, the weft can be readily supplied and threaded by the flying shuttle. Further, as the guide groove is formed on only one of the ends of the shuttle, during a return flying motion, the shuttle can be returned to the shuttle box at the opposite end without any trouble because it can fly beneath the weft maintained at a given supply angle across the path of the shuttle.

One example of insertion of the weft by utilizing the improved shuttle will now be described by referring to FIG. 13.

FIG. 13A represents a condition wherein shuttle 106 is received in a shuttle box 123 (left-hand shuttle box) which supplies the weft prior to picking motion. In this condition, weft 102 is continuously supplied from length measuring rollers (not shown) during operation of the loom. The length of the weft is so determined that a section of the weft having a length equal to (2 X width of the fabric) (2 X length ofa fringe yarn at one selvage) (length of yarn end which becomes waste yarn after cutting) is cut by two revolutions of the crankshaft. It is to be understood that weft 102 is maintained at a predetermined relative position (indicated by a line between 108 and 109 in FIG. 12) determined by yarn guide 108 and suction port 109 which are mounted on the opposite sides ofshuttle race 107 adjacent the exit of the left-hand shuttle box.

Weft 102, when maintained in this manner, can be readily caught by guide groove 114 and thence by groove 113 on the rear side, thus assuring stable supply of the weft to the shuttle.

Since yarn guide 108 and suction port 109 are mounted on shuttle race 107 their correct positions can be accurately maintained irrespective of the reciprocating motion of shuttle race 107 caused by the crankshaft. In addition, adjustment of their positions relative to guide groove 114 of the shuttle can also be readily made.

The other end of the suction port 109 is connected to a vacuum device independent of the loom through a flexible pipe 109a. I

Weft 102 blown into the suction port 109 by airflow is temporarily retained therein and is then pulled out therefrom when shuttle 106 flys toward right-hand shuttle box 124.

immediately after shuttle 106 is picked from left-hand shuttle box 123 to begin to fly, weft 102 is caught by the tip 115 of guide groove 1141 on the conical end of the shuttle and is then smoothly guided to inner bottom 118 at the tip 115 of said 1 guide groove 114 by the tension caused by airflow and flying of the shuttle. Then weft 102 is received in guide groove 113 on rear side surface 111 of shuttle 106. Thus the weft is threaded through warps with its one end positioned at suction port 109, while the other end is extended to the yarn guide through groove 112 on the upper surface 110. Said portions are adjusted with respect to shedding time of warps so that, when inner bottom 118 at the tip 115 of guide groove 114 on shuttle 106 reaches right-hand selvage 125a of fabric 125, as shown in F10. 1318 there will remain in suction port 109 a length of web 102 ofa length equal to (2 X width of the fabric) (2 X length offringe yarn) (length of yarn end which becomes waste).

When shuttle 106 is received in the right-hand shuttle box 124, the aircontained therein, especially in the space between the right-hand end of the shuttle and the end wall of the shuttle box, will be compressed. However, the compressed air is exhausted through elongated air passage 119 communicating with groove 113 on the upper surface 110 of the shuttle, whereby the web is stabilized in a position indicated by dotted lines. Thus, the weft passes through groove 113, is folded back in the inner bottom 118 at the tip of guide groove 113, and is then retained in groove 112. At this time, the relation between the shuttle and front sidewall 1240 of right-hand shuttle box 1241 is selected so that, upper and lower edges 117a and 11712 of window 120 through front side surface 117 of the shuttle are in contact with the inner surface of said front sidewall 1241a, thus assisting stopping of the shuttle. A suction port 126 is provided through front sidewall 1240 of the right-hand shuttle box 124 to open into the interior thereof, the configuration and area of said suction port 126 corresponding to those of window 120 of shuttle 106 so that, when the shuttle is maintained in the stop position in shuttle box 124, the window 120 becomes aligned with suction port 126, and other portions firmly contact each other so that the weft will be received in groove 112 just above air passage 121 communicating with window 120. Thus, upon application of air suction, weft 102 will be immediately drawn into suction port 126 through window 120 below upper edge 117a by the airflow whereas the other end of weft 102 retained in suction port 109 will also be drawn into suction port 126 through groove 113, guide groove 114, air passage 121, and window 120, thus forming the second section. In this case, the first section of the weft is not pulled out of the shed but is maintained therein with its lefthand end (as viewed in H0. 13) anchored by yarn guide 108 on the supply side. Then the reed is operated to beat the first section of the weft. At the front center of the crankshaft, the outer end of the first section is cut by a cutter 127 positioned near the left-hand selvage 125b, thus leaving fringe yarn 128. The other cut end of the weft is caught by the airflow near suction port 109 and anchored thereto, as shown in FIGS. 13A. By this means the leading end of the weft supplied from the length measuring rollers is temporarily fixed to prepare the next cycle of supplying of the weft.

When the shuttle contained in right-hand shuttle box 124 is picked near the back center of the crankshaft in the direction indicated by an arrow shown i nTl G. 8, the second section of the weft 102a is folded back at the right-hand selvage 1241a of the woven cloth. Then the shuttle flies toward the left to thread the second section of the weft 102a which has been retained in the suction port 126. During this fly, the weft is carried by the shuttle by passing around the right-hand end a of the shuttle window 120, through air passage 121 and an opening 114a of guide groove 114 to groove 112. When the shuttle passes through left-hand selvage 125b of the fabric 125, it disengages from the end of second section of weft 1020, leaving it on shuttle race 107. This freed end is then immediately caught by the airflow flowing into suction port 109 opening into the rear wall of shuttle race 107 on the left-hand side of the fabric, as shown in FIG. 13D, whereby the leading end of the weft is temporarily arrested to apply tension to the weft, thus providing fabric of good appearance after beating.

The shuttle thus freed from the second section of the weft is then driven in the opposite direction to thread the weft extending between yarn guide 108 and suction port 109, and the above cycle of operation is repeated to couple the fabric.

Thus, this modified bobbinless shuttle provides a novel method of weaving wherein a length of weft having a length of twice the width of the fabric is measured by a weft length measuring device, the measured length of the weft is stored in a storing or retaining tube by the action of air suction, the weft is threaded through warps by being engaged by a guide groove formed on one of conical pointed ends of a flying shuttle, and, after the first section of the weft is threaded, the second section thereof is removed from the shed and stored in a storing tube. Then the second section of the weft is pulled out from the storing tube and threaded through the warps by the return motion of the shuttle. By repeating the above procedures, the length of weft is successively supplied to complete a fabric. Since the weft is supplied to the shuttle while it is flying, supply of the weft to the shuttle can be effected positively with high efficiency and without causing any disturbance to the warps. Thus, according to this invention the number of revolutions per unit time of the loom can be increased to improve the productivity.

While the invention has beendescribed with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that many alternations and modifications maybe made within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In an apparatus for weaving fabrics with a pirnless shuttle: comprising a source of weft supply; means to measure a predetermined length of the weft which is substantially equal to twice the width of the woven fabric; a first pneumatic weft storing means to store said measured length of the weft; said source, said measuring means and said first weft storing means being located on one side of a loom; a pirnless shuttle; a first picking means located on said one side of the loom to drive said shuttle in one direction through a warp shed; a second pneumatic weft storing means located on the opposite side of a loom, said shuttle, when picked in said one direction, operating to thread the first width of said measured length of the weft in the shed and to store the second width of the weft in said second weft storing means; a second picking means located on said opposite side to drive said shuttle in the opposite direction to pull said second width of the weft out of said second weft storing means to thread it in the shed whereby to thread said measured length of the weft in a hairpin shape to form a selvedge along one edge alone; the improvement which comprises said pirnless shuttle comprising an elongated body terminating in pointed opposite ends, said body having a rectangular transverse section, a first weft guide groove on an upper surface of said body, a second weft guide groove on another surface perpendicular to said surface of said body and a third weft guide groove at one of said pointed ends for interconnecting said first and second grooves, said pirnless shuttle having no means to positively hold the weft other than said weft guide grooves, and said first weft guide groove engaging 4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said pirnless shuttle has a rectangular cross section and said third weft guide groove is inclined with respect to upper and lower surfaces of said shuttle.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said first and second pneumatic weft storing means are in the form of elongated pipes in which the weft is stored in a straight state. 

1. In an apparatus for weaving fabrics with a pirnless shuttle: comprising a source of weft supply; means to measure a predetermined length of the weft which is substantially equal to twice the width of the woven fabric; a first pneumatic weft storing means to store said measured length of the weft; said source, said measuring means and said first weft storing means being located on one side of a loom; a pirnless shuttle; a first picking means located on said one side of the loom to drive said shuttle in one direction through a warp shed; a second pneumatic weft storing means located on the opposite side of a loom, said shuttle, when picked in said one direction, operating to thread the first width of said measured length of the weft in the shed and to store the second width of the weft in said second weft storing means; a second picking means located on said opposite side to drive said shuttle in the opposite direction to pull said second width of the weft out of said second weft storing means to thread it in the shed whereby to thread said measured length of the weft in a hairpin shape to form a selvedge along one edge alone; the improvement which comprises said pirnless shuttle comprising an elongated body terminating in pointed opposite ends, said body having a rectangular transverse section, a first weft guide groove on an upper surface of said body, a second weft guide groove on another surface perpendicular to said surface of said body and a third weft guide groove at one of said pointed ends for interconnecting said first and second grooves, said pirnless shuttle having no means to positively hold the weft other than said weft guide grooves, and saId first weft guide groove engaging the portion of said weft extending between said measuring means and said first storing means.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said apparatus further comprises a weft guide located between said measuring means and said first weft storing means, said weft guide guiding said weft in conjunction with said first weft storing means at an angle with respect to the upper warps.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said angle is substantially 90*.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said pirnless shuttle has a rectangular cross section and said third weft guide groove is inclined with respect to upper and lower surfaces of said shuttle.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said first and second pneumatic weft storing means are in the form of elongated pipes in which the weft is stored in a straight state. 